For all you old-timers out there (like me, lately), who remember the fun days of computing back in the pre-GUI days... the REALbasic IDE has features which will take you back to younger days.
Shift+Delete is the same thing as Cut
Shift+Insert does a Paste
Ctrl+Insert does a Copy
Those shortcuts have been on the PC platform since the dawn of time. Who here remembers them?
The IDE also supports the Insert key itself to do type-over functionality, woooo! Are you impressed yet? If not, then read on for more hidden key shortcuts that the code editor supports.
Ctrl+Home goes to the top of the currently edited item, while Ctrl+End goes to the end.
Alt+Backspace is the same as Undo.
Ctrl+Delete does a word-wise forward delete, and Ctrl+Backspace does a word-wise backward delete (one of these two is currently broken, but fixed for a future release).
Ok, ok, I'm done extolling the hidden keyboard shortcuts. But feel free to revel in them if you'd like. :-P
I can recognise the history of all of those except Alt+Backspace
Is that traditional?
On a related subject, is there a shortcut for closing all the tabs (except project) that works in Windows? Or all the tabs except the one that currently has focus would be even better.
Yup, I think that was a Windows 3.1 trick.
And nope, there's no such shortcut (Windows lacks an option key for that sort of thing).
I hate insert.
I can't tell you how many support calls I've gotten from people who turned it on by accident and can't figure out what's wrong with their keyboards. IMO, it's a usability nightmare, along with "Pause" and "Scroll Lock" when supported by applications.
That key should be refactored to do something else, and the 4 people on earth who regularly use it will just have to cope with some other keyboard shortcut, one that's hard to type by accident.
I still use them extensively. I even try to use them on the Mac and laugh every time I realize I'm a fool.
However, in Visual Studio some shortcuts act differently. Like the Shift+Delete. It removes the cuts the entire line your cursor is located regardless of what's highlighted. Of course it acts as a Backspace in other applications if nothing is highlighted.
I've always loved the Shift+Tab / Tab when, multiple lines are highlighted, in code editors. Of course most IDE's stagger the code appropriately automatically for you now.
On an off-topic subject: Aaron, I've recently been offered a C# job in Eden Prairie. Is that close to your location?
@James -- I can imagine. It's pretty bad in 2006r1 since the cursor doesn't change when you hit Insert (which has been fixed already). But, some people truly love the insert key (I'm not one of them).
@Steve -- Eden Prairie is about 40 minutes away from me, so yeah, it's pretty close. It's a good location. Congrats!
RB has had a problem with Cut-Copy-Paste since I started using it in version 5.5. The problem is (actually was, since last week I received and email confirming that it has been fixed and will be released with the next version), that after a while, CTRL-X, CTRL-C and CTRL-V, for Cut, Copy and Paste respectively, simply stopped working. I was very surprised when I realized that nobody else had complained before or at least not publicly in the feedback system as far as I could research. The thing is, that having a somewhat strong DOS background, I new about these shortcuts, and they DID worked even when the other ones disappeared. In the beginning I was very frustrated, when I did a CTRL-C and when doing a CTRL-V, I got text that had been place on the clipboard half an hour ago.
Anyways, these shortcuts exist in virtually all applications…I suppose that they stay there for backward compatibility…but they are seldom documented or promoted.
By the way, this was under Windows. Don’t know if the problem exists (existed) under other platforms.
@Alco -- that problem was fixed with 2006r2 for Windows. It was very annoying, but I've not seen it (nor heard of anyone else seeing it) since r2 was released.
I am addicted to CTRL+Y (cut the current line to the clipboard) since the days of QuickBasic. Due to my inability to restrain or retrain myself it is good that it currently does nothing.
@Lewis: My guess is you don't make much use of UnDo
Ctrl+Y does ReDo
Well for us really old times lets go back to the Sinclair range of computers
function-g GOTO
function/shift-g GOSUB
function-l LET (ahh remember the LET command)
but then again maybe that was taking things too far.
Thanks
Damon
Ah, yes. I remember these Windows shortcuts - very difficult to remember and almost impossible to type with one hand. I was glad when they finally switched to X-C-V.
At the command line of my TRS-80 Model III, you could type Shift-Delete to delete the entire line of text, which always struck me as a bit of a curiosity. I just typed this entire command; why would I want a shortcut to nuke it?
I might be delusional, but didn't most DOS applications (and perhaps Windows) use the Alt key for shortcuts for a long time, only to switch tot he Control key at some point?
Eric in Seattle
I have to agree that the insert key is the biggest pain ever!!! You really can't tell it's on until it's too late and you either forget how to turn in off or think the computer is broken.... maybe they should turn it into a Help key like on the Mac ;-)
Hah, the help key is less than worthless IMHO. I spend more time inserting text than I ever do asking to bring up a help window. ;-)
if not a Help key... what about an all-in-one key that gives the same effect as Ctrl-Alt-Delete... considering you need it all the time :p
update: I don't even think the Help key works...